Don't Blink and Miss It!

I’m here. I’m awesome and I’m a force to be reckoned with.

I won’t allow you to reduce me to non-existent status.

Not this time. Not now and not ever again.

Do you see me now? Do you hear me now? Do you feel me yet?

Don’t worry, you will.

I’m just like smoke

so watch me rise.

But don’t you blink

Or you might certainly miss it!

You are the key to your own motivation

When I wrote the words of the above free verse poem, I was in desperate need of a shot of motivation! At the time, life was being a little stubborn, and not going according to plan.

Sometimes in our lives, we come to a point where we may feel alone in our struggles to accomplish our goals in life.

But take it from someone who's been there; trust me, there’s truly nothing new under the sun. Whatever it is you’re going through, someone else is going through it with you.

If you ever feel like life is trying to beat you up in some way; take some time to re-evaluate things. Don’t allow circumstances to keep bullying you.

Better yet, stop bullying yourself and try a little self-acceptance instead. Take it from me, it works wonders.

Imagine yourself like the smoke that's referred to in the above poem; successfully rising to the top.

So what, if it takes a while before other people come to know or appreciate how great you are. Recognize it for yourself, and keep reminding yourself, for as long as you need to.

There's nothing wrong with being proud of yourself

The previous paragraph is not suggesting that you become an arrogant S.O.B. that no one can stand to be around. It's simply saying that there is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself, especially by doing and saying things to show it.

Pride is an attribute we’re constantly being encouraged to develop and it has clearly been shone to be a real motivator and driving force. So use it. Even when you're feeling your lowest, there's always something that you've done that you can be proud of, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

This is the same kind of advice that you will find in numerous self help books, and tv talk shows. Even if it sounds cheesy, that doesn't mean the advice doesn't work.

But you'll never know until you give it a try. That might require starting to change the way you think about, and talk to yourself, on a regular basis. Before you can start doing that, you'll need to ask yourself some pointed questions, and truthfully contemplate the answers.

For instance:

1. Do you feed your mind positive self talk, or do you have a tendency to put yourself down?
2. Have you set realistic goals and objectives for your life, based on your true abilities?
3. Do you recognize your strengths and positive attributes, or do you only focus on your weaknesses and shortcomings?

As you can see, these 3 questions alone require a lot of deep thought and consideration. But the answers you discover will require even more pondering.

Make yourself visible and continue to rise

Whatever your goals and objectives are, accomplishing them may end up taking much longer than you expect. Somehow, you have got to learn to be okay with that.

Don't allow an unrealistic or unachievable deadline to sap all your motivation. It's one thing to feel down, but it's another to stay there.

So what can you do if you find yourself feeling low, feeling invisible, and feeling like you're always moving, but getting nowhere fast?

How about the following:

• Regarding expectations, aim high, start low, celebrate small victories
• Have a clear picture in your mind of your goals and dreams
• Don’t allow others to choose your priorities and set goals for you
• Keep a visible representation of your goals and dreams
• Look at the visible representation of your goals and dreams often
• Regularly articulate what your dreams and goals mean to you
• Create a way to track your progress and gauge your success often

Don't allow your negative thoughts to continually bully you. Instead, talk to them, and the entire universe.

Let it be known that you're here and you're awesome, and you're a force to be reckoned with.